CYMATICS: physical analysis of the resonance pattern formation and dynamic form/motion effects of sound vibrations on inert matter and fluids. Specific elements include morphology and kinetics/dynamics in essential interrelation to acoustic vibration.

These phenomena can be conceptualized as a visible manifestation of 3D spatial harmonics. That is, sound wave spectra temporally structuring matter in space. Thus, blurring the conceptual boundaries between the visible and auditory segments of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Spatial harmonics can be appreciated, as an awareness of harmonically (overtones) derived energy (wave/particle) transformations, through their perceptible spatiotemporal effects on matter.

An analogy can be appreciated within dynamically complex polychromatic color perception (gestalt). Here, light wave harmonic spectra are temporally structuring the visual perception (appearance) of matter in space. These subtle perceptions may only be appreciated indirectly as an overall gestalt shift as opposed to direct recognition of varying subcomponent wavelength elements. In this instance, there is a change in appearance without a corresponding change in structure.

i.e. subtle polychromatic [harmonic spectra] differentials of complex color combinations, where the metaphoric ‘fundamental’ frequency is the basic metacolor and the perceptible harmonic spectra (microcolors) are made of characteristic relative harmonic patterns of visible light in context.

MUSIC THEORY: perceptual analysis/codification of a music system nomenclature. Basic qualitative aspects of perception defined in an absolute, conventional notation system.

MUSIC CRITICISM/AESTHETICS: subjective qualitative perceptual analysis and interpretation of art.

Hertz (Hz): numerical frequency of sound wave cycles per second. Optimal human audible range upper and lower limits are generally considered as 20Hz – 20KHz, based on sine wave testing. The auditory system is more sensitive to frequencies in the range of 1 – 4 KHz.

Cents: 1/100 of a semitone, the logarithmic unit of measurement between intervals enabling intervallic relationships to remain constant while Hz values change along a different scale (i.e. yardstick/meterstick mismatch) relative to the actual component pitches. So by definition, there are 1200 cents per octave, 100 cents per semitone regardless of the frequency (Hz).

Example: if a record on a record player is slowed down the pitch changes (Hz) but the intervallic relationships (cents) of the melody and harmony stay the same.

Octave: defined numerically, in a fixed linear fashion as: 2 x frequency or 1/2 x frequency. Base on the fundamental premise of ‘octave equivalence’ which relies on an assumption of a linear system (pitch perception is a nonlinear process). Also defined alphabetically, as the repetition of a pitch name while progressing linearly through the pitch sequence of a given temperament. Human audible range is roughly 10 octaves.

Enharmonic: collapse of 2 pitches of a prior tuning system into 1 pitch with 2 names. (ie. C# = Db)

Semitone: each discrete pitch within the octave of the 12ET tuning system (100 cents).

Microtone: generically, discrete pitch intervals with a value of less than 100 cents.

Macrotone: generically, discrete pitch intervals with a value of more than 100 cents.

Metapitch: a chromatic semitone which becomes subdivided in a higher resolution microtonal temperament. i.e. metapitch ‘C’ becomes further divided into 4 micropitches in 48ET. This enables an efficient transition and expansion of musical systems without reinventing the wheel or having numerous incompatible systems to learn, teach and develop.

Polychromatic: a music paradigm which includes all potential microtonal and macrotonal pitch ‘color’ palettes. All possible pitch palettes within this paradigm are conceived and expressed, both acoustically and visually, as various color schemes within the pitch continuum. Because it is an adaptable and relatively defined system, it is capable of notating more advanced musical aspects of pitched sound such as:nonlinear and/or linear interrelationships as well as dynamic and contextual pitch relativity)

The polychromatic system is an intuitive simplification of the extensive accumulation of incompatible microtonal pitch modifier symbols within black and white, chromatic notation systems.

It is an evolution of (mono)Chromatic; combinations and contrasts of black and white with rudimentary embedded pitch/intervallic assumptions: static, absolute, acontextual, linear, intervallic relationships.

Timbre: tone color; gestalt ‘sound’ quality characteristics of a fundamental pitch and its integrated configuration/spectra of harmonics (i.e. harsh, complex, lush, hollow, brass- like, etc…). Based partially on static and dynamic aspects of the relative frequency spectrum, phase and temporal relationships, and intensity characteristics of the sound. Additional deeper elements encompass interactive relationships in which the whole is greater than the component elements (gestalt).

b. MIDI note number – Middle ‘C’ (C4) is set to a MIDI note number of 60. Adjacent pitches are numbered consecutively from this point with numbers decreasing as the pitch/note lowers and increasing as the pitch/note raises.

Base 16 is used in representing the numerical relationships of computer science and programming, and is an integral element in the organization of the MIDI protocol and its musical definitions (i.e. pitch, volume, duration, etc).

Since hexadecimal numbers contain digits for 10 through 15, letters of the alphabet are used to represent those digits, starting at A = 10.

Hexadecimal numbers are often written with an h following them to distinguish them from decimal numbers: A4h indicates that A4 is a hexadecimal number.

e. Other numerical scales of pitch are in less universal use such as:

The mel pitch scale is used in psychoacoustic research and applications. The mel scale represents a perceptual scale of pitches generally judged to be equal in distance from one another by research subjects under experimental conditions. There are multiple mel scale formulas (no consistent absolute values, many subjective scales).